Methods and systems for identifying dependencies between object-oriented elements

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool that represents multiple dependencies between a dependent node and a defining node in a project as a single dependency link. Methods and systems consistent with the present invention also identify and display details regarding each dependency in a project upon request by the user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/199,046, entitled “Software DevelopmentTool,” filed on Apr. 21, 2000, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 09/680,063, entitled “Method and System forDeveloping Software,” filed on Oct. 4, 2000, which claims the benefit ofthe filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/157,826, entitled“Visual Unified Modeling Language Development Tool,” filed on Oct. 5,1999, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/199,046, entitled“Software Development Tool,” filed on Apr. 21, 2000; all of which areincorporated herein by reference.

The following identified U.S. patent applications are also relied uponand are incorporated by reference in this application:

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/680,065, entitled “Method And SystemFor Displaying Changes Of Source Code,” filed on Oct. 4, 2000;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/680,030, entitled “Method And SystemFor Generating, Applying, And Defining A Pattern,” filed on Oct. 4,2000;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/680,064, entitled “Method And SystemFor Collapsing A Graphical Representation Of Related Elements,” filed onOct. 4, 2000;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,045, entitled “Methods andSystems for Generating Source Code for Object Oriented Elements,” andfiled on the same date herewith;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,526, entitled “Methods andSystems for Relating Data Structures and Object Oriented Elements forDistributed Computing,” and filed on the same date herewith;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,525, entitled “Methods andSystems for Finding Specific Line Of Source Code,” and filed on the samedate herewith;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,645, entitled “Methods andSystems for Finding and Displaying Linked Objects,” and filed on thesame date herewith;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,527, entitled “Methods andSystems for Animating the Interaction of Objects in an Object OrientedProgram,” and filed on the same date herewith;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,646, entitled “Methods andSystems for Supporting and Deploying Distributed Computing Components,”and filed on the same date herewith;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,580, entitled “DiagrammaticControl of a Software in a Version Control System,” and filed on thesame date herewith;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,578, entitled “Navigation Linksin Generated Documentation,” and filed on the same date herewith; and

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/839,524, entitled “Methods andSystems for Relating a Data Definition File and a Data Model forDistributed Computing,” and filed on the same date herewith.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and system for developingsoftware. More particularly, the invention relates to methods andsystems for identifying dependencies between object-oriented elements ina project.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Computer instructions are written in source code. Although a skilledprogrammer can understand source code to determine what the code isdesigned to accomplish, with highly complex software systems, agraphical representation or model of the source code is helpful toorganize and visualize the structure and components of the system. Usingmodels, the complex systems are easily identified, and the structuraland behavioral patterns can be visualized and documented.

The well-known Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a general-purposenotational language for visualizing, specifying, constructing, anddocumenting complex software systems. UML is used to model systemsranging from business information systems to Web-based distributedsystems, to real-time embedded systems. UML formalizes the notion thatreal-world objects are best modeled as self-contained entities thatcontain both data and functionality. UML is more clearly described inthe following references, which are incorporated herein by reference:(1) Martin Fowler, UML Distilled Second Edition: Applying the StandardObject Modeling Language, Addison-Wesley (1999); (2) Booch, Rumbaugh,and Jacobson, The Unified Modeling Language User Guide, Addison-Wesley(1998); (3) Peter Coad, Jeff DeLuca, and Eric Lefebvre, Java Modeling inColor with UML: Enterprise Components and Process, Prentice Hall (1999);and (4) Peter Coad, Mark Mayfield, and Jonathan Kern, Java Design:Building Better Apps & Applets (2nd Ed.), Prentice Hall (1998).

As shown in FIG. 1, conventional software development tools 100 allow aprogrammer to view UML 102 while viewing source code 104. The sourcecode 104 is stored in a file, and a reverse engineering module 106converts the source code 104 into a representation of the softwareproject in a database or repository 108. The software project comprisessource code 104 in at least one file that, when compiled, forms asequence of instructions to be run by the data processing system. Therepository 108 generates the IL 102. If any changes are made to the UML102, they are automatically reflected in the repository 108, and a codegenerator 110 converts the representation in the repository 108 intosource code 104. Such software development tools 100, however, do notsynchronize the displays of the UML 102 and the source code 104. Rather,the repository 108 stores the representation of the software projectwhile the file stores the source code 104. A modification in the UML 102does not appear in the source code 104 unless the code generator 110re-generates the source code 104 from the data in the repository 108.When this occurs, the entire source code 104 is rewritten. Similarly,any modifications made to the source code 104 do not appear in the UML102 unless the reverse engineering module 106 updates the repository108. As a result, redundant information is stored in the repository 108and the source code 104. In addition, rather than making incrementalchanges to the source code 104, conventional software development tools100 rewrite the overall source code 104 when modifications are made tothe UML 102, resulting in wasted processing time. This type of manual,large-grained synchronization requires either human intervention, or a“batch” style process to try to keep the two views (the UML 102 and thesource code 104) in sync. Unfortunately, this approach, adopted by manytools, leads to many undesirable side-effects; such as desired changesto the source code being overwritten by the tool. A further disadvantagewith conventional software development tools 100 is that they aredesigned to only work in a single programming language. Thus, a tool 100that is designed for Java™ programs cannot be utilized to develop aprogram in C++. There is a need in the art for a tool that avoids thelimitations of these conventional software development tools.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide animproved software development tool that overcomes the limitations ofconventional software development tools. The improved softwaredevelopment tool of the present invention allows a developer tosimultaneously view a graphical and a textual display of source code.The graphical and textual views are synchronized so that a modificationin one view is automatically reflected in the other view. In addition,the software development tool is designed for use with more than oneprogramming language.

The software development tool consistent with the present inventionprovides a developer with a visual cue of multiple dependencies betweentwo nodes in a project via a single dependency link between the nodes.Thus, the software development tool saves significant programmingdevelopment time and aids in the production of error free code. Thesoftware development tool also identifies and displays the details foreach dependency in a project to assist the developer in analyzing thecode. Thus, the developer does not need to search the code to identifythe particular dependencies that exist between various object-orientedelements in the project.

In accordance with methods consistent with the present invention, amethod is provided in a data processing system. The data processingsystem has a dependent node, a defining node, and a plurality ofdependencies between the dependent node and the defining node. Themethod comprises the steps of displaying a graphical representation ofthe dependent node, displaying a graphical representation of thedefining node, receiving an indication to identify a dependency betweenthe dependent node and the defining node, and in response to receivingthe indication to identify the dependency, representing the plurality ofdependencies as a number of links that is less than a number of thedependencies between the dependent node and the defining node.

In accordance with methods consistent with the present invention, amethod is provided in a data processing system. The data processingsystem has a plurality of nodes, and each of the plurality of nodes hascorresponding code. The method comprises the steps of displaying agraphical representation of the plurality of nodes, determining whetherthe code corresponding to a first of the plurality of nodes contains afirst use of a second of the plurality of nodes, and when it isdetermined that the code corresponding to the first node contains thefirst use of the second node, determining whether the code correspondingto the first node contains a second use of the second node, and when itis determined that the code corresponding to the first node contains thesecond use of the second node, displaying a dependency link between thegraphical representation of the first node and the graphicalrepresentation of the second node.

In accordance with methods consistent with the present invention, amethod is provided in a data processing system. The data processingsystem has a plurality of nodes, and each of the plurality of nodes hascorresponding code. The method comprises the steps of receiving anindication of a first of the plurality of nodes, receiving an indicationof a second of the plurality of nodes, determining whether the codecorresponding to the first node contains a first use and a second use ofthe second node, and when it is determined that the code correspondingto the first node contains the first use and the second use of thesecond node, displaying a dependency link between the graphicalrepresentation of the first node and the graphical representation of thesecond node.

In accordance with methods consistent with the present invention, amethod is provided in a data processing system. The data processingsystem has a plurality of nodes, and each of the plurality of nodes hascorresponding code. The method comprises the steps of receiving anindication of a first of the plurality of nodes, receiving an indicationof a second of the plurality of nodes, determining whether the codecorresponding to the first node contains a use of the second node, andwhen it is determined that the code corresponding to the first nodecontains the use of the second node, displaying the usage of the secondnode by the first node.

In accordance with articles of manufacture consistent with the presentinvention, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readablemedium contains instructions for controlling a data processing system toperform a method. The data processing system has a dependent node, adefining node, and a plurality of dependencies between the dependentnode and the defining node. The method comprises the steps of displayinga graphical representation of the dependent node, displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the defining node, receiving an indication to identifya dependency between the dependent node and the defining node, and inresponse to receiving the indication to identify the dependency,representing the plurality of dependencies as a number of links that isless than a number of the dependencies between the dependent node andthe defining node.

In accordance with articles of manufacture consistent with the presentinvention, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readablemedium contains instructions for controlling a data processing system toperform a method. The data processing system has a plurality of nodes,and each of the plurality of nodes has corresponding code. The methodcomprises the steps of displaying a graphical representation of theplurality of nodes, determining whether the code corresponding to afirst of the plurality of nodes contains a first use of a second of theplurality of nodes, and when it is determined that the codecorresponding to the first node contains the first use of the secondnode, determining whether the code corresponding to the first nodecontains a second use of the second node, and when it is determined thatthe code corresponding to the first node contains the second use of thesecond node, displaying a dependency link between the graphicalrepresentation of the first node and the graphical representation of thesecond node.

In accordance with articles of manufacture consistent with the presentinvention, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readablemedium contains instructions for controlling a data processing system toperform a method. The data processing system has a plurality of nodes,and each of the plurality of nodes has corresponding code. The methodcomprises the steps of receiving an indication of a first of theplurality of nodes, receiving an indication of a second of the pluralityof nodes, determining whether the code corresponding to the first nodecontains a first use and a second use of the second node, and when it isdetermined that the code corresponding to the first node contains thefirst use and the second use of the second node, displaying a dependencylink between the graphical representation of the first node and thegraphical representation of the second node.

In accordance with articles of manufacture consistent with the presentinvention, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readablemedium contains instructions for controlling a data processing system toperform a method. The data processing system has a plurality of nodes,and each of the plurality of nodes has corresponding code. The methodcomprises the steps of receiving an indication of a first of theplurality of nodes, receiving an indication of a second of the pluralityof nodes, determining whether the code corresponding to the first nodecontains a use of the second node, and when it is determined that thecode corresponding to the first node contains the use of the secondnode, displaying the usage of the second node by the first node.

Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will beor will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination ofthe following figures and detailed description. It is intended that allsuch additional systems, methods, features and advantages be includedwithin this description, be within the scope of the invention, and beprotected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate an implementation of theinvention and, together with the description, serve to explain theadvantages and principles of the invention. In the drawings,

FIG. 1 depicts a conventional software development tool;

FIG. 2 depicts an overview of a software development tool in accordancewith methods and systems consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 3 depicts a data structure of the language-neutral representationcreated by the software development tool of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 depicts representative source code;

FIG. 5 depicts the data structure of the language-neutral representationof the source code of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 depicts a data processing system suitable for practicing thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 depicts an architectural overview of the software developmenttool of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8A depicts a user interface displayed by the software developmenttool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays a list ofpredefined criteria which the software development tool checks in thesource code;

FIG. 8B depicts a user interface displayed by the software developmenttool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays thedefinition of the criteria which the software development tool checks inthe source code, and an example of source code which does not conform tothe criteria;

FIG. 8C depicts a user interface displayed by the software developmenttool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays an example ofsource code which conforms to the criteria which the softwaredevelopment tool checks in the source code;

FIG. 9 depicts a flow diagram of the steps performed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 10A and 10B depict a flow diagram illustrating the update modelstep of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 depicts a flow diagram of the steps performed by the softwaredevelopment tool in FIG. 2 when creating a class;

FIG. 12 depicts a user interface displayed by the software developmenttool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays a use casediagram of source code;

FIG. 13 depicts a user interface displayed by the software developmenttool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays both a classdiagram and a textual view of source code;

FIG. 14 depicts a user interface displayed by the software developmenttool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays a sequencediagram of source code;

FIG. 15 depicts a user interface displayed by the software developmenttool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays acollaboration diagram of source code;

FIG. 16 depicts a user interface displayed by the software developmenttool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays a statechartdiagram of source code;

FIG. 17 depicts a user interface displayed by the software developmenttool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays an activitydiagram of source code;

FIG. 18 depicts a user interface displayed by the software developmenttool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays a componentdiagram of source code;

FIG. 19 depicts a user interface displayed by the software developmenttool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays a deploymentdiagram of source code;

FIG. 20 depicts exemplary code corresponding to a dependent class thatuses another defining class, resulting in a dependency between thedependent class and the defining class;

FIG. 21 depicts an exemplary user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool in response to a request to open a project containing agroup of object-oriented elements, where the exemplary user interfaceshows a group of nodes that graphically represent the group ofobject-oriented elements in the project;

FIGS. 22A and 22B depict a flow diagram illustrating an exemplaryprocess performed by the software development tool in FIG. 2 to identifyone or more dependencies between two nodes in a project;

FIG. 23 depicts an exemplary user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the user interface displays alist of dependency search types that the software development tool mayperform;

FIG. 24 depicts an exemplary user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2 for requesting the softwaredevelopment tool to identify a dependency between packages;

FIG. 25 depicts an exemplary screen showing a single dependency linkbetween two packages displayed by the software development tool in FIG.2 to reflect at least one dependency identified in code corresponding toa class in one of the two packages;

FIG. 26 depicts an exemplary screen showing a single dependency linkbetween a class and a package displayed by the software development toolin FIG. 2 to reflect at least one dependency identified in codecorresponding the class or to a different class in the package;

FIGS. 27A and 27B depict a flow diagram illustrating a second embodimentof a process performed by the software development tool in FIG. 2 toidentify one or more dependencies between two nodes in a project;

FIG. 28A–C depict a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary processperformed by the software development tool in FIG. 2 to identify anddisplay all dependencies reflected by a single dependency link between adependent node and a defining node;

FIG. 29 depicts an exemplary user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2 for requesting the softwaredevelopment tool to show all dependencies reflected by a singledependency link between a dependent package and a defining package;

FIG. 30 depicts exemplary code corresponding to a class associated withthe dependent package, where the exemplary code reflects a dependency ona second class associated with the defining package;

FIG. 31 depicts exemplary code corresponding to a class associated withthe dependent package, where the exemplary code reflects a dependency ona second class associated with the defining package;

FIG. 32 depicts an exemplary user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the exemplary user interfaceshows all the dependencies reflected by the single dependency linkbetween the dependent node and the defining node when the dependencysearch type is declarations;

FIG. 33 depicts an exemplary user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the exemplary user interfaceshows all the dependencies reflected by the single dependency linkbetween the dependent node and the defining node when the dependencysearch type is all usages;

FIG. 34 depicts an exemplary user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the exemplary user interfaceshows the effect of removing an element having a dependency to a secondnode from a package;

FIG. 35 depicts an exemplary user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the exemplary user interfaceshows a request from a developer to display a dependency link between aninterface and a package without identifying if a dependency existsbetween the interface and the package; and

FIG. 36 depicts an exemplary user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool depicted in FIG. 2, where the exemplary user interfaceshows the lack of dependencies reflected by the single dependency linkrequested by the developer between the interface and the package.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide animproved software development tool that creates a graphicalrepresentation of source code regardless of the programming language inwhich the code is written. In addition, the software development toolsimultaneously reflects any modifications to the source code to both thedisplay of the graphical representation as well as the textual displayof the source code.

As depicted in FIG. 2, source code 202 is being displayed in both agraphical form 204 and a textual form 206. In accordance with methodsand systems consistent with the present invention, the improved softwaredevelopment tool generates a transient meta model (TMM) 200 which storesa language-neutral representation of the source code 202. The graphical204 and textual 206 representations of the source code 202 are generatedfrom the language-neutral representation in the TMM 200. Althoughmodifications made on the displays 204 and 206 may appear to modify thedisplays 204 and 206, in actuality all modifications are made directlyto the source code 202 via an incremental code editor (ICE) 208, and theTMM 200 is used to generate the modifications in both the graphical 204and the textual 206 views from the modifications to the source code 202.

The improved software development tool provides simultaneous round-tripengineering, i.e., the graphical representation 204 is synchronized withthe textual representation 206. Thus, if a change is made to the sourcecode 202 via the graphical representation 204, the textualrepresentation 206 is updated automatically. Similarly, if a change ismade to the source code 202 via the textual representation 206, thegraphical representation 204 is updated to remain synchronized. There isno repository, no batch code generation, and no risk of losing code.

The data structure 300 of the language-neutral representation isdepicted in FIG. 3. The data structure 300 comprises a Source CodeInterface (SCI) model 302, an SCI package 304, an SCI class 306, and anSCI member 308. The SCI model 302 is the source code organized intopackages. The SCI model 302 corresponds to a directory for a softwareproject being developed by the user, and the SCI package 304 correspondsto a subdirectory. The software project comprises the source code in atleast one file that is compiled to form a sequence of instructions to berun by a data processing system. The data processing system is discussedin detail below. As is well known in object-oriented programming, theclass 306 is a category of objects which describes a group of objectswith similar properties (attributes), common behavior (operations ormethods), common relationships to other objects, and common semantics.The members 308 comprise attributes and/or operations.

For example, the data structure 500 for the source code 400 depicted inFIG. 4 is depicted in FIG. 5. UserInterface 402 is defined as a package404. Accordingly, UserInterface 402 is contained in SCI package 502.Similarly, Bank 406, which is defined as a class 408, is contained inSCI class 504, and Name 410 and Assets 412, which are defined asattributes (strings 414), are contained in SCI members 506. Since theseelements are in the same project, all are linked. The data structure 500also identifies the language in which the source code is written 508,e.g., the Java™ language.

FIG. 6 depicts a data processing system 600 suitable for practicingmethods and systems consistent with the present invention. Dataprocessing system 600 comprises a memory 602, a secondary storage device604, an I/O device 606, and a processor 608. Memory 602 includes theimproved software development tool 610. The software development tool610 is used to develop a software project 612, and create the TMM 200 inthe memory 602. The project 612 is stored in the secondary storagedevice 604 of the data processing system 600. One skilled in the artwill recognize that data processing system 600 may contain additional ordifferent components.

Although aspects of the present invention are described as being storedin memory, one skilled in the art will appreciate that these aspects canalso be stored on or read from other types of computer-readable media,such as secondary storage devices, like hard disks, floppy disks orCD-ROM; a carrier wave from a network, such as Internet; or other formsof RAM or ROM either currently known or later developed.

FIG. 7 illustrates an architectural overview of the improved softwaredevelopment tool 610. The tool 610 comprises a core 700, an openapplication program interface (API) 702, and modules 704. The core 700includes a parser 706 and an ICE 208. The parser 706 converts the sourcecode into the language-neutral representation in the TMM, and the ICE208 converts the text from the displays into source code. There arethree main packages composing the API 702: Integrated DevelopmentEnvironment (IDE) 708; Read-Write Interface (RWI) 710; and Source CodeInterface (SCI) 712. Each package includes corresponding subpackages. Asis well known in the art, a package is a collection of attributes,notifications, operations, or behaviors that are treated as a singlemodule or program unit.

IDE 708 is the API 702 needed to generate custom outputs based oninformation contained in a model. It is a read-only interface, i.e., theuser can extract information from the model, but not change the model.IDE 708 provides the functionality related to the model's representationin IDE 708 and interaction with the user. Each package composing the IDEgroup has a description highlighting the areas of applicability of thisconcrete package.

RWI 710 enables the user to go deeper into the architecture. Using RWI710, information can be extracted from and written to the models. RWInot only represents packages, classes and members, but it may alsorepresent different diagrams (class diagrams, use case diagrams,sequence diagrams and others), links, notes, use cases, actors, states,etc.

SCI 712 is at the source code level, and allows the user to work withthe source code almost independently of the language being used.

There are a variety of modules 704 in the software development tool 610of the present invention. Some of the modules 704 access information togenerate graphical and code documentation in custom formats, export todifferent file formats, or develop patterns. The software developmenttool also includes a quality assurance (QA) module which monitors themodifications to the source code and calculates the complexity metrics,i.e., the measurement of the program's performance or efficiency, tosupport quality assurance. The types of metrics calculated by thesoftware development tool include basic metrics, cohesion metrics,complexity metrics, coupling metrics, Halstead metrics, inheritancemetrics, maximum metrics, polymorphism metrics, and ratio metrics.Examples of these metrics with their respective definitions areidentified in Tables 1–9 below.

TABLE 1 Basic Metrics Basic Metrics Description Lines Of Code Counts thenumber of code lines. Number Of Attributes Counts the number ofattributes. If a class has a high number of attributes, it may beappropriate to divide it into subclasses. Number Of Classes Counts thenumber of classes. Number Of Import Counts the number of importedpackages/classes. This measure Statements can highlight excessiveimporting, and also can be used as a measure of coupling. Number OfMembers Counts the number of members, i.e., attributes and operations.If a class has a high number of members, it may be appropriate to divideit into subclasses. Number Of Operations Counts the number ofoperations. If a class has a high number of operations, it may beappropriate to divide it into subclasses.

TABLE 2 Cohesion Metrics Cohesion Metrics Description Lack Of CohesionOf Takes each pair of methods in the class and determines the set ofMethods 1 fields they each access. A low value indicates high couplingbetween methods, which indicates potentially low reusability andincreased testing because many methods can affect the same attributes.Lack Of Cohesion Of Counts the percentage of methods that do not accessa specific Methods 2 attribute averaged over all attributes in theclass. A high value of cohesion (a low lack of cohesion) implies thatthe class is well designed. Lack Of Cohesion Of Measures thedissimilarity of methods in a class by attributes. A Methods 3 low valueindicates good class subdivision, implying simplicity and highreusability. A high lack of cohesion increases complexity, therebyincreasing the likelihood of errors during the development process.

TABLE 3 Complexity Metrics Complexity Metrics Description AttributeComplexity Defined as the sum of each attribute's value in the class.Cyclomatic Represents the cognitive complexity of the class. It countsthe Complexity number of possible paths through an algorithm by countingthe number of distinct regions on a flowgraph, i.e., the number of ‘if,’‘for’ and ‘while’ statements in the operation's body. Number Of RemoteProcesses all of the methods and constructors, and counts the Methodsnumber of different remote methods called. A remote method is defined asa method which is not declared in either the class itself or itsancestors. Response For Class Calculated as ‘Number of Local Methods’ +‘Number of Remote Methods.’ A class which provides a larger response setis considered to be more complex and requires more testing than one witha smaller overall design complexity. Weighted Methods Per The sum of thecomplexity of all methods for a class, where each Class 1 method isweighted by its cyclomatic complexity. The number of methods and thecomplexity of the methods involved is a predictor of how much time andeffort is required to develop and maintain the class. Weighted MethodsPer Measures the complexity of a class, assuming that a class with Class2 more methods than another is more complex, and that a method with moreparameters than another is also likely to be more complex.

TABLE 4 Coupling Metrics Coupling Metrics Description Coupling BetweenRepresents the number of other classes to which a class is Objectscoupled. Counts the number of reference types that are used in attributedeclarations, formal parameters, return types, throws declarations andlocal variables, and types from which attribute and method selectionsare made. Excessive coupling between objects is detrimental to modulardesign and prevents reuse. The more independent a class is, the easierit is to reuse it in another application. In order to improve modularityand promote encapsulation, inter-object class couples should be kept toa minimum. The larger the number of couples, the higher the sensitivityto changes in other parts of the design, and therefore maintenance ismore difficult. A measure of coupling is useful to determine how complexthe testing of various parts of a design is likely to be. The higher theinter- object class coupling, the more rigorous the testing needs to be.Data Abstraction Counts the number of reference types used in theattribute Coupling declarations. FanOut Counts the number of referencetypes that are used in attribute declarations, formal parameters, returntypes, throws declarations and local variables.

TABLE 5 Halstead Metrics Halstead Metrics Description HalsteadDifficulty This measure is one of the Halstead Software Science metrics.It is calculated as (‘Number of Unique Operators’ / ‘Number of UniqueOperands’) * (‘Number of Operands’ / ‘Number of Unique Operands’).Halstead Effort This measure is one of the Halstead Software Sciencemetrics. It is calculated as ‘Halstead Difficulty’ * ‘Halstead ProgramVolume.’ Halstead Program This measure is one of the Halstead SoftwareScience metrics. It Length is calculated as ‘Number of Operators’ +‘Number of Operands.’ Halstead Program This measure is one of theHalstead Software Science metrics. It Vocabulary is calculated as‘Number of Unique Operators’ + ‘Number of Unique Operands.’ HalsteadProgram This measure is one of the Halstead Software Science metrics. ItVolume is calculated as ‘Halstead Program Length’ * Log2(‘HalsteadProgram Vocabulary’). Number Of Operands This measure is used as aninput to the Halstead Software Science metrics. It counts the number ofoperands used in a class. Number Of Operators This measure is used as aninput to the Halstead Software Science metrics. It counts the number ofoperators used in a class. Number Of Unique This measure is used as aninput to the Halstead Software Science Operands metrics. It counts thenumber of unique operands used in a class. Number Of Unique This measureis used as an input to the Halstead Software Science Operators metrics.It counts the number of unique operators used in a class.

TABLE 6 Inheritance Metrics Inheritance Metrics Description Depth OfInheritance Counts how far down the inheritance hierarchy a class orHierarchy interface is declared. High values imply that a class is quitespecialized. Number Of Child Counts the number of classes which inheritfrom a particular Classes class, i.e., the number of classes in theinheritance tree down from a class. Non-zero value indicates that theparticular class is being re-used. The abstraction of the class may bepoor if there are too many child classes. It should also be stated thata high value of this measure points to the definite amount of testingrequired for each child class.

TABLE 7 Maximum Metrics Maximum Metrics Description Maximum Number OfCounts the maximum depth of ‘if,’ ‘for’ and ‘while’ branches in Levelsthe bodies of methods. Logical units with a large number of nestedlevels may need implementation simplification and process improvementbecause groups that contain more than seven pieces of information areincreasingly harder for people to understand in problem solving. MaximumNumber Of Displays the maximum number of parameters among all classParameters operations. Methods with many parameters tend to be morespecialized and, thus, are less likely to be reusable. Maximum Size OfCounts the maximum size of the operations for a class. Method Operationsize is determined in terms of cyclomatic complexity, i.e., the numberof ‘if,’ ‘for’ and ‘while’ statements in the operation's body.

TABLE 8 Polymorphism Metrics Polymorphism Metrics Description Number OfAdded Counts the number of operations added by a class. A large valueMethods of this measure indicates that the functionality of the givenclass becomes increasingly distinct from that of the parent classes. Inthis case, it should be considered whether this class genuinely shouldbe inheriting from the parent, or if it could be broken down intoseveral smaller classes. Number Of Counts the number of inheritedoperations which a class Overridden Methods overrides. Classes withoutparents are not processed. High values tend to indicate design problems,i.e., subclasses should generally add to and extend the functionality ofthe parent classes rather than overriding them.

TABLE 9 Ratio Metrics Ratio Metrics Description Comment Ratio Counts theratio of comments to total lines of code including comments. PercentageOf Package Counts the percentage of package members in a class. MembersPercentage Of Private Counts the percentage of private members in aclass. Members Percentage Of Counts the percentage of protected membersin a class. Protected Members Percentage Of Public Counts the proportionof vulnerable members in a class. A large Members proportion of suchmembers means that the class has high potential to be affected byexternal classes and means that increased efforts will be needed to testsuch a class thoroughly. True Comment Ratio Counts the ratio of commentsto total lines of code excluding comments.

The QA module also provides audits, i.e., the module checks forconformance to predefined or user-defined styles. The types of auditsprovided by the module include coding style, critical errors,declaration style, documentation, naming style, performance, possibleerrors and superfluous content. Examples of these audits with theirrespective definitions are identified in Tables 10–17 below.

TABLE 10 Coding Style Audits Coding Style Audits Description Access OfStatic Static members should be referenced through class names ratherMembers Through than through objects. Objects Assignment To FormalFormal parameters should not be assigned. Parameters Complex AssignmentChecks for the occurrence of multiple assignments and assignments tovariables within the same expression. Complex assignments should beavoided since they decrease program readability. Don't Use the Thenegation operator slows down the readability of the program. NegationOperator Thus, it is recommended that it not be used frequently.Frequently Operator ‘?:’ May Not The operator ‘?:’ makes the code harderto read than the Be Used alternative form with an if-statement. ProvideIncremental In Checks if the third argument of the ‘for’-statement ismissing. For-Statement or use while-statement Replacement For Demandimport-declarations must be replaced by a list of single Demand Importsimport-declarations that are actually imported into the compilationunit. In other words, import-statements may not end with an asterisk.Use Abbreviated Use the abbreviated assignment operator in order towrite Assignment Operator programs more rapidly. Also some compilers runfaster with the abbreviated assignment operator. Use ‘this’ ExplicitlyTries to make the developer use ‘this’ explicitly when trying to ToAccess Class access class members. Using the same class member nameswith Members parameter names often makes what the developer is referringto unclear.

TABLE 11 Critical Errors Audits Critical Errors Audits Description AvoidHiding Detects when attributes declared in child classes InheritedAttributes hide inherited attributes. Avoid Hiding Detects wheninherited static operations are Inherited Static hidden by childclasses. Methods Command Query Prevents methods that return a value froma Separation modifying state. The methods used to query the state of anobject must be different from the methods used to perform commands(change the state of the object). Hiding Of Names Declarations of namesshould not hide other declarations of the same name. InaccessibleOverload resolution only considers constructors Constructor Or andmethods that are visible at the point of the Method Matches call. If,however, all the constructors and methods were considered, there may bemore matches. This rule is violated in this case. Imagine that ClassB isin a different package than ClassA. Then the allocation of ClassBviolates this rule since the second constructor is not visible at thepoint of the allocation, but it still matches the allocation (based onsignature). Also the call to open in ClassB violates this rule since thesecond and the third declarations of open are not visible at the pointof the call, but it still matches the call (based on signature).Multiple Visible Multiple declarations with the same name mustDeclarations With not be simultaneously visible except for over- SameName loaded methods. Overriding a Non- Checks for abstract methodsoverriding non- Abstract Method With abstract methods in a subclass. anAbstract Method Overriding a Private A subclass should not contain amethod with the Method same name and signature as in a superclass ifthese methods are declared to be private. Overloading Within a Asuperclass method may not be overloaded Subclass within a subclassunless all overloading in the superclass are also overridden in thesubclass. It is very unusual for a subclass to be overloading methods inits superclass without also overriding the methods it is overloading.More frequently this happens due to inconsistent changes between thesuperclass and subclass-i.e., the intention of the user is to overridethe method in the superclass, but due to the error, the subclass methodends up overloading the superclass method. Use of Static AttributeNon-final static attributes should not be used in for Initializationinitializations of attributes.

TABLE 12 Declaration Style Audits Declaration Style Audits DescriptionBadly Located Array Array declarators must be placed next to the typeDeclarators descriptor of their component type. Constant Private Privateattributes that never get their values Attributes Must Be changed mustbe declared final. By explicitly Final declaring them in such a way, areader of the source code get some information of how the attribute issupposed to be used. Constant Variables Local variables that never gettheir values Must Be Final changed must be declared final. By explicitlydeclaring them in such a way, a reader of the source code obtainsinformation about how the variable is supposed to be used. DeclareVariables In Several variables (attributes and local variables) OneStatement Each should not be declared in the same statement.Instantiated Classes This rule recommends making all instantiated ShouldBe Final classes final. It checks classes which are present in theobject model. Classes from search/classpath are ignored. List All PublicAnd Enforces a standard to improve readability. Package MembersMethods/data in your class should be ordered First properly. Order OfAppearance Checks for correct ordering of modifiers. For Of Modifiersclasses, this includes visibility (public, protected or private),abstract, static, final. For attributes, this includes visibility(public, protected or private), static, final, transient, volatile. Foroperations, this includes visibility (public, protected or private),abstract, static, final, synchronized, native. Put the Main FunctionTries to make the program comply with various Last coding standardsregarding the form of the class definitions.

TABLE 13 Documentation Audits Documentation Audits Description Bad TagIn JavaDoc This rule verifies code against accidental use of im-Comments proper JavaDoc tags. Distinguish Between Checks whether theJavaDoc comments in your pro- JavaDoc And gram ends with ‘**/’ andordinary C-style ones with Ordinary ‘*/.’ Comments

TABLE 14 Naming Style Audits Naming Style Audits Description Class NameMust Checks whether top level classes or interfaces Match Its File Namehave the same name as the file in which they reside. Group OperationsEnforces standard to improve readability. With Same Name Together NamingConventions Takes a regular expression and item name and reports alloccurrences where the pattern does not match the declaration. Names OfException Names of classes which inherit from Exception Classes shouldend with Exception. Use Conventional One-character local variable orparameter names Variable Names should be avoided, except for temporaryand looping variables, or where a variable holds an undistinguishedvalue of a type.

TABLE 15 Performance Audits Performance Audits Description AvoidDeclaring This rule recommends declaring local variables VariablesInside Loops outside the loops since declaring variables inside the loopis less efficient. Append To String Performance enhancements can beobtained by Within a Loop replacing String operations with StringBufferoperations if a String object is appended within a loop. Complex LoopAvoid using complex expressions as repeat Expressions conditions withinloops.

TABLE 16 Possible Error Audits Possible Error Audits Description AvoidPublic And Declare the attributes either private or protected, PackageAttributes and provide operations to access or change them. AvoidStatements Avoid statements with empty body. With Empty Body AssignmentTo For- ‘For’-loop variables should not be assigned. Loop VariablesDon't Compare Avoid testing for equality of floating point FloatingPoint Types numbers since floating-point numbers that should be equalare not always equal due to rounding problems. Enclosing Body Thestatement of a loop must always be a block. Within a Block The ‘then’and ‘else’ parts of ‘if’-statements must always be blocks. This makes iteasier to add statements without accidentally introducing bugs in casethe developer forgets to add braces. Explicitly Initialize AllExplicitly initialize all variables. The only reason Variables not toinitialize a variable is where it's declared is if the initial valuedepends on some computation occurring first. Method finalize( ) Callingof super.finalize( ) from finalize( ) is good Doesn't Call practice ofprogramming, even if the base class super.finalize( ) doesn't define thefinalize( ) method. This makes class implementations less dependent oneach other. Mixing Logical An expression containing multiple logicalOperators Without operators should be parenthesized properly.Parentheses No Assignments In Use of assignment within conditions makesthe Conditional source code hard to understand. Expressions Use ‘equals’Instead The ‘==’ operator used on strings checks if two Of ‘==’ stringobjects are two identical objects. In most situations, however, onelikes to simply check if two strings have the same value. In thesecases, the ‘equals’ method should be used. Use ‘L’ Instead Of ‘l’ It isbetter to use uppercase ‘L’ to distinguish the at the end of integerletter ‘l’ from the number ‘1.’ constant Use Of the The ‘synchronized’modifier on methods can ‘synchronized’ sometimes cause confusion duringmaintenance as Modifier well as during debugging. This rule thereforerecommends against using this modifier, and instead recommends using‘synchronized’ statements as replacements.

TABLE 17 Superfluous Content Audits Superfluous Content AuditsDescription Duplicate Import There should be at most one importdeclaration Declarations that imports a particular class/package. Don'tImport the No classes or interfaces need to be imported from Package theSource the package to which the source code file belongs. File BelongsTo Everything in that package is available without explicit importstatements. Explicit Import Of the Explicit import of classes from thepackage java.lang Classes ‘java.lang’ should not be performed. EqualityOperations Avoid performing equality operations on Boolean On Booleanoperands. ‘True’ and ‘false’ literals should not be Arguments used inconditional clauses. Imported Items Must It is not legal to import aclass or an interface and Be Used never use it. This rule checks classesand interfaces that are explicitly imported with their names-that is notwith import of a complete package, using an asterisk. If unused classand interface imports are omitted, the amount of meaningless source codeis reduced-thus the amount of code to be understood by a reader isminimized. Unnecessary Casts Checks for the use of type casts that arenot necessary. Unnecessary Verifies that the runtime type of theleft-hand side ‘instanceof’ expression is the same as the one specifiedon the Evaluations right-hand side. Unused Local Local variables andformal parameter declarations Variables And Formal must be used.Parameters Use Of Obsolete The modifier ‘abstract’ is consideredobsolete and Interface Modifier should not be used. Use Of UnnecessaryAll interface operations are implicitly public and Interface Memberabstract. All interface attributes are implicitly Modifiers public,final and static. Unused Private Class An unused class member mightindicate a logical Member flaw in the program. The class declaration hasto be reconsidered in order to determine the need of the unusedmember(s).

If the QA module determines that the source code does not conform, anerror message is provided to the developer. For example, as depicted inFIG. 8A, the software development tool checks for a variety of codingstyles 800. If the software development tool were to check for “AccessOf Static Members Through Objects” 802, it would verify whether staticmembers are referenced through class names rather than through objects804. Further, as depicted in FIG. 8B, if the software development toolwere to check for “Complex Assignment” 806, the software developmenttool would check for the occurrence of multiple assignments andassignments to variables within the same expression to avoid complexassignments since these decrease program readability 808. An example ofsource code having a complex assignment 810 and source code having anon-complex assignment 812 are depicted in FIGS. 8B and 8C,respectively. The QA module of the software development tool scans thesource code for other syntax errors well known in the art, as describedabove, and provides an error message if any such errors are detected.

The improved software development tool of the present invention is usedto develop source code in a project. The project comprises a pluralityof files and the source code of a chosen one of the plurality of filesis written in a given language. The software development tool determinesthe language of the source code of the chosen file, converts the sourcecode from the language into a language-neutral representation, uses thelanguage-neutral representation to textually display the source code ofthe chosen file in the language, and uses the language-neutralrepresentation to display a graphical representation of at least aportion of the project. The source code and the graphical representationare displayed simultaneously.

The improved software development tool of the present invention is alsoused to develop source code. The software development tool receives anindication of a selected language for the source code, creates a file tostore the source code in the selected language, converts the source codefrom the selected language into a language-neutral representation, usesthe language-neutral representation to display the source code of thefile, and uses the language-neutral representation to display agraphical representation of the file. Again, the source code and thegraphical representation are displayed simultaneously.

Moreover, if the source code in the file is modified, the modifiedsource code and a graphical representation of at least a portion of themodified source code are displayed simultaneously. The QA module of thesoftware development tool provides an error message if the modificationdoes not conform to predefined or user-defined styles, as describedabove. The modification to the source code may be received from thedisplay of the source code, the display of the graphical representationof the project, or via some other independent software to modify thecode. The graphical representation of the project may be in UnifiedModeling Language; however, one skilled in the art will recognize thatother graphical representations of the source code may be displayed.Further, although the present invention is described and shown using thevarious views of the UML, one of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that other views may be displayed.

FIG. 9 depicts a flow diagram of the steps performed by the softwaredevelopment tool to develop a project in accordance with methods andsystems consistent with the present invention. As previously stated, theproject comprises a plurality of files. The developer either uses thesoftware development tool to open a file that contains existing sourcecode, or to create a file in which the source code will be developed. Ifthe software development tool is used to open the file, determined instep 900, the software development tool initially determines theprogramming language in which the code is written (step 902). Thelanguage is identified by the extension of the file, e.g., “.java”identifies source code written in the Java™ language, while “.cpp”identifies source code written in C++. The software development toolthen obtains a template for the current programming language, i.e., acollection of generalized definitions for the particular language thatcan be used to build the data structure (step 904). For example, thedefinition of a new Java™ class contains a default name, e.g., “Class1,” and the default code, “public class Class1 { }.” Such templates arewell known in the art. For example, the “Microsoft Foundation ClassLibrary” and the “Microsoft Word Template For Business Use CaseModeling” are examples of standard template libraries from whichprogrammers can choose individual template classes. The softwaredevelopment tool uses the template to parse the source code (step 906),and create the data structure (step 908). After creating the datastructure or if there is no existing code, the software development toolawaits an event, i.e., a modification or addition to the source code bythe developer (step 910). If an event is received and the event is toclose the file (step 912), the file is saved (step 914) and closed (step916). Otherwise, the software development tool performs the event (step918), i.e., the tool makes the modification. The software developmenttool then updates the TMM or model (step 920), as discussed in detailbelow, and updates both the graphical and the textual views (step 922).

FIGS. 10A and 10B depict a flow diagram illustrating the update modelstep of FIG. 9. The software development tool selects a file from theproject (step 1000), and determines whether the file is new (step 1002),whether the file has been updated (step 1004), or whether the file hasbeen deleted (step 1006). If the file is new, the software developmenttool adds the additional symbols from the file to the TMM (step 1008).To add the symbol to the TMM, the software development tool uses thetemplate to parse the symbol to the TMM. If the file has been updated,the software development tool updates the symbols in the TMM (step1010). Similar to the addition of a symbol to the TMM, the softwaredevelopment tool uses the template to parse the symbol to the TMM. Ifthe file has been deleted, the software development tool deletes thesymbols in the TMM (step 1012). The software development tool continuesthis analysis for all files in the project. After all files are analyzed(step 1014), any obsolete symbols in the TMM (step 1016) are deleted(step 1018).

FIG. 11 depicts a flow diagram illustrating the performance of an event,specifically the creation of a class, in accordance with methods andsystems consistent with the present invention. After identifying theprogramming language (step 1100), the software development tool obtainsa template for the language (step 1102), creates a source code file inthe project directory (step 1104), and pastes the template onto the TMM(step 1106). The project directory corresponds to the SCI model 302 ofFIG. 3. Additional events which a developer may perform using thesoftware development tool include the creation, modification or deletionof packages, projects, attributes, interfaces, links, operations, andthe closing of a file.

The software development tool is collectively broken into three views ofthe application: the static view, the dynamic view, and the functionalview. The static view is modeled using the use-case and class diagrams.A use case diagram 1200, depicted in FIG. 12, shows the relationshipamong actors 1202 and use cases 1204 within the system 1206. A classdiagram 1300, depicted in FIG. 13 with its associated source code 1302,on the other hand, includes classes 1304, interfaces, packages and theirrelationships connected as a graph to each other and to their contents.

The dynamic view is modeled using the sequence, collaboration andstatechart diagrams. As depicted in FIG. 14, a sequence diagram 1400represents an interaction, which is a set of messages 1402 exchangedamong objects 1404 within a collaboration to effect a desired operationor result. In a sequence diagram 1400, the vertical dimension representstime and the horizontal dimension represents different objects. Acollaboration diagram 1500, depicted in FIG. 15, is also an interactionwith messages 1502 exchanged among objects 1504, but it is also acollaboration, which is a set of objects 1504 related in a particularcontext. Contrary to sequence diagrams 1400 (FIG. 14), which emphasizethe time ordering of messages along the vertical axis, collaborationdiagrams 1500 (FIG. 15) emphasize the structural organization ofobjects.

A statechart diagram 1600 is depicted in FIG. 16. The statechart diagram1600 includes the sequences of states 1602 that an object or interactiongoes through during its life in response to stimuli, together with itsresponses and actions. It uses a graphic notation that shows states ofan object, the events that cause a transition from one state to another,and the actions that result from the transition.

The functional view can be represented by activity diagrams 1700 andmore traditional descriptive narratives such as pseudocode andminispecifications. An activity diagram 1700 is depicted in FIG. 17, andis a special case of a state diagram where most, if not all, of thestates are action states 1702 and where most, if not all, of thetransitions are triggered by completion of the actions in the sourcestates. Activity diagrams 1700 are used in situations where all or mostof the events represent the completion of internally generated actions.

There is also a fourth view mingled with the static view called thearchitectural view. This view is modeled using package, component anddeployment diagrams. Package diagrams show packages of classes and thedependencies among them. Component diagrams 1800, depicted in FIG. 18,are graphical representations of a system or its component parts.Component diagrams 1800 show the dependencies among software components,including source code components, binary code components and executablecomponents. As depicted in FIG. 19, Deployment diagrams 1900 are used toshow the distribution strategy for a distributed object system.Deployment diagrams 1900 show the configuration of run-time processingelements and the software components, processes and objects that live onthem.

Although discussed in terms of class diagrams, one skilled in the artwill recognize that the software development tool of the presentinvention may support these and other graphical views.

Representing Multiple Dependencies Between Nodes with a Single Link

In addition to the functionality described above, the softwaredevelopment tool 610 saves significant programming development time andaids in the production of error free code by providing a developer witha visual cue of multiple dependencies between two nodes in a project viaa single dependency link between the nodes. Each node in the project maybe a package, a class, or an interface. If the node is a package, theclasses and/or interfaces within the package are referred to as the“elements” in the node. If the node is a class or an interface, theclass or the interface is the “element” in the node. A dependency existsbetween the two nodes if changes to a defining element, i.e., a class oran interface in one node, may impact a dependent element, i.e., a classor an interface in another node. The node containing the definingelement is referred to as the “defining node,” and the node containingthe dependent element is referred to as the “dependent node.” Changes tothe defining element may impact the dependent element because thedependent element uses the defining element, such as in a declaration, alocal variable definition, a method invocation, or a constructor (i.e.,a special type of method invocation that initializes every data fieldwhen a new object is created from a class). For example, as shown inFIG. 20, class “Sale” 2002 uses the class “Product” 2004 by declaring“aProd” 2006 (an argument parameter for the method “addItem” 2008) to beof the type “Product,” resulting in one dependency. In addition, theclass “Sale” 2002 uses the class “Product” 2010 in a method invocation“Product.lookup(barCode)” 2012, resulting in a second dependency.Conventional tools display the two dependencies separately. Inaccordance with methods and systems consistent with the presentinvention, the software development tool 610 allows a developer todisplay the two dependencies between the class “sale” 2002 and the class“product” 2004 as a single dependency link. By displaying multipledependencies as a single dependency link and allowing the developer toselectively choose to identify the multiple dependencies reflected bythe single dependency link, the software development tool visuallyapprises the developer of which nodes may be impacted by a code changewithout displaying a spider web of dependencies between the two nodes.In another embodiment, the software development tool may alter theappearance of the link depending on the number of dependencies betweenthe nodes. For example, the thickness of the link may be proportional tothe number of dependencies between the nodes, or the color of the linkmay change depending on the number of dependencies between the nodes.

FIG. 21 depicts an exemplary user interface 2100 displayed by thesoftware development tool in response to a request to open a projectcontaining a group of object-oriented elements. Each object-orientedelement may be a class or an interface. The exemplary user interface2100 shows a group of nodes 2102, 2104, 2106, and 2108 that graphicallyrepresent the group of object-oriented elements in the project. Asdiscussed above, a node may be a graphical representation of a package,a class, or an interface. As shown in FIG. 21, the software developmenttool displays a group of packages (depicted graphically as 2102, 2104,and 2106) and an interface (depicted graphically as 2108) as nodes inthe project “CashSales” 2101. Each package 2102, 2104, and 2106represents a directory 2136, 2134, and 2132 that contains a portion ofthe object-oriented elements in the project. Each object-orientedelement in the project has corresponding code stored in a respectivefile within the project. For example, in FIG. 21, class “SaleDM” 2109 inpackage “DataManagement” 2106 has corresponding code stored in file“SaleDM.java” 2110. Similarly, in package “ProblemDomain” 2104, class“CashSale” 2111, class “CashSaleDetail” 2113, interface “IMakeCashSale”2115, class “ProductDesc” 2117, and class “ProductPrice” 2119 havecorresponding code stored in files “CashSale.java” 2112,“CashSaleDetail.java” 2114, “IMakeCashSale.java” 2116,“ProductDesc.java” 2118, and “ProductPrice.java” 2120, respectively.Also in package “UserInterface” 2102, class “CashSalesApp” 2131, class“POSFrame” 2123, class “POSFrame AboutBox” 2125, and class “SaleUI” 2127have corresponding code stored in files “CashSalesApp.java” 2132,“POSFrame.java” 2124, “POSFrame_AboutBox.java” 2126, and “SaleUI.java”2128, respectively.

According to methods and systems consistent with the present invention,when a developer prompts the software development tool to open theproject “CashSales” 2101, the software development tool parses codecorresponding to each object-oriented element (i.e., a class or aninterface having corresponding code) in each package into a respectivedata structure 300 of TMM 200 as discussed previously. The softwaredevelopment tool then generates the graphical representation of the codecorresponding to each element in TMM 200 on the graphical pane 2138. Inone implementation, when viewing the root directory of the project, suchas indicated by “default” tab 2140, the software development tooldisplays a graphical representation of each package 2102, 2104, and 2106as a node. Each node includes an indication of the object-orientedelements contained in each respective package. The graphicalrepresentation of the code corresponding to each element, however, ishidden from view in order to provide a developer with a more abstractperspective view of the project. For example, UserInterface package 2102includes an indication of class CashSalesApp 2131, however the graphicalrepresentation of the code corresponding to CashSalesApp is hidden fromview.

FIGS. 22A and 22B depict a flow diagram illustrating an exemplaryprocess performed by the software development tool to graphicallyrepresent multiple dependencies between two nodes in a project as asingle dependency link. The steps are performed after the source codehas been parsed and the graphical representation of the object-orientedelements in the source code has been displayed. Initially, the softwaredevelopment tool receives an indication of a type of dependency search(step 2202). In one implementation shown in FIG. 23, the softwaredevelopment tool receives the indication of the type of dependencysearch from a pull down menu selection 2302. Although the softwaredevelopment tool is depicted with a pull-down menu 2302, other knowninput techniques, such as a keyboard input or an icon selection, mayalso be used to convey the indication of the type of dependency searchto the software development tool. In the implementation shown in FIG.23, the type of declaration search is “declarations only” 2304 or “allusages” 2306. If the type of dependency search is “declarations only”2304, the software development tool searches the element(s) in thedependent node for a declaration, a return value of methods, or anargument parameter for a reference to an element in the defining node.If the developer chooses “all usages” 2306 as the type of dependencysearch, the software development tool will also analyze the element(s)in the dependent node for a use of the defining element. Thus, thesoftware development tool allows the developer to obtain a broadperspective of dependencies between nodes by limiting the analysis to“declarations only” 2304. However, the software development tool allowsthe developer to view all sources of dependencies to take correctivemeasures in the design of the code or determine potential impact to achange in the code by expanding the analysis performed by the softwaredevelopment tool to “all usages” 2306.

After receiving an indication of the type of dependency search, thesoftware development tool receives a request to identify a dependency(step 2203). As shown in the exemplary user interface 2400 depicted inFIG. 24, the software development tool may receive the request 2402 toidentify a dependency via the developer making a selection from a pulldown menu. However, any known data input technique, such as a keyboardinput or an icon selection, may be used to convey the same informationto the software development tool.

The next step performed by the software development tool is to select adependent node (step 2204). The software development tool also selects adefining node (step 2206). The software development tool then selects anelement from the dependent node (step 2208). After selecting the elementfrom the dependent node, the software development tool determineswhether a declaration in the selected element refers to any element inthe defining node, also known as the defining element (step 2210). Aspreviously noted, a node may be a package, class, or interface that isgraphically represented by the software development tool. For example,in FIG. 21, the software development tool displays nodes 2102, 2104,2106, and 2108 in the project “CashSales” 2101, which graphicallyrepresent packages “UserInterface” 2136, “ProblemDomain” 2134, and“DataManagement” 2132 as well as interface “IMakeCashSale” 2130,respectively. To determine whether a declaration in the codecorresponding to the selected element refers to any defining element,the software development tool searches the source code of the selectedelement by invoking the TMM 200 to provide a declaration associated withthe defining element. In another implementation, the softwaredevelopment tool may scan the file associated with the selected elementto find a declaration in the code corresponding to the defining element.For example, in FIG. 25, if class “POSFrame” 2512 in node 2102 (i.e.,package “UserInterface”) is the selected element, the softwaredevelopment tool searches the source code of class “POSFrame” 2502 tofind the declaration “CashSale currentSale” 2504. The declaration 2504refers to a defining element, “CashSale” 2506, that is in a differentnode, “ProblemDomain” 2104, i.e., the defining node.

If no declaration in the selected element refers to any element in thedefining node, the software development tool determines whether the typeof dependency search is “all usages” (step 2212). If the developer choseto search “all usages,” the software development tool determines whethera method in the selected element in the dependent node refers to anyelement in the defining node (step 2214). Thus, the software developmenttool determines whether the developer has requested a more extensiveanalysis. To determine whether a method in the selected element refersto an element in the defining node, the software development toolsearches the source code of the selected element by invoking the TMM 200to provide a method associated with the selected element. In anotherimplementation, the software development tool scans the file associatedwith the selected element for a method header construct that includes anaccess specifier, a return type, a method name, and an argument fieldbetween parenthesis. For example, if the software development tool issearching the class “POSFrame” 2502 as the selected element, thesoftware development tool will find the method header “private voidsetUpProducts( )” (not shown in FIG. 25) which identifies a method incode corresponding to class “POSFrame” 2502. In this implementation, thesoftware development tool then searches the method body, i.e., the codethat is in brackets “{ }” following the method header, to identify ifthe second class is used in a local variable definition, methodinvocation, or a constructor. As discussed above, a constructor is aspecial type of method invocation for initializing data fields in anewly created object of a class. For example, the constructor “newProductDesc[10]” (not shown in FIG. 25) creates and initializes anobject of the defining element, “ProductDesc” (graphically depicted as2526) in the defining node, “ProblemDomain” 2104. Thus, in thisinstance, the software development tool would identify a dependency asthe method in the class “POSFrame” 2512 in the node “UserInterface” 2102using the class “ProductDesc” 2526 in the node “ProblemDomain” 2104. Inthe event that the type of dependency search is not “all usages,” thesoftware development would not perform step 2214, thus limiting thesearch to declarations in the selected element that refer to an elementin the defining node.

If no method in the selected element refers to any element in thedefining node, or if the type of dependency search is not “all usages,”the software development tool determines whether there are more elementsin the dependent node (step 2218 in FIG. 22B). If there are moreelements, processing continues with the next element at step 2208. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 25, if the software development tool completedits analysis of the code corresponding to “POSFrame” 2512 as theselected element, the software development tool recognizes that theassociated dependent node, “User Interface” 2102, has three otherelements “CashSalesApp” 2514, “POSFrame AboutBox” 2516 and “SaleUI”2518. Thus, the software development tool will proceed to check the nextelement associated with the dependent node, “User Interface” 2102, whenit is determined that each element in the dependent node has not beenchecked. Moreover, since the software development tool draws onedependent link regardless of how many dependencies exist between twonodes, the software development tool need not check all elements in eachnode. Once a dependency is found, the software development tool mayproceed to the next node.

If all elements in the dependent node have been analyzed, the softwaredevelopment tool determines whether there are any more defining nodes(step 2220). If there are more defining nodes, processing continues withthe next defining node at step 2206. If all defining nodes have beenanalyzed, the software development tool determines whether there are anymore dependent nodes (step 2222). If there are more dependent nodes,processing continues with the next dependent node at step 2204. If alldependent nodes have been analyzed, processing ends. If at step 2210 or2214, the software development tool determines that a dependency existsbetween the dependent node and the defining node, the softwaredevelopment tool displays a single dependency link from the dependentnode to the defining node (step 2216). Processing then continues at step2220. For example, as shown in FIG. 25, the software development tooldisplays the dependency link 2510 in response to identifying that theclass “POSFrame” 2512 in the dependent node “UserInterface” 2102 refersto the class “ProductDesc” 2526 in the defining node, “ProblemDomain”2104. The dependency link 2510 is displayed as a broken arrow pointingfrom the dependent node 2102 to the defining node 2104 to visuallysignify that the package “UserInterface” has a dependent element thatuses a defining element contained in the package “ProblemDomain.”

If the user were to display the object-oriented elements within package2102, the software development tool would display exemplary userinterface 2600 depicted in FIG. 26. As discussed above, class “POSFrame”2512 within package “UserInterface” 2102 refers to class “ProdDesc”2526. In FIG. 26, package “UserInterface” is represented by tab 2602,class “POSFrame” is represented by node 2608, and “ProdDesc” 2526 is anelement in package “ProblemDomain.ProductDesc” represented by node 2606.In response to determining that a method in class “POSFrame” 2608 refersto class “ProductDesc” 2526 in package “ProblemDomain.ProductDesc,” thesoftware development tool displays the dependency link 2604 betweenclass “POSFrame” 2608 and package “ProblemDomain.ProductDesc” 2606.

In the example depicted in FIG. 25, the software development toolidentifies a single dependency link 2520 when the dependent node is“ProblemDomain” 2104 and the defining node is “DataManagement” 2106. Thesoftware development tool also identifies a single dependency link 2524when the dependent node is “DataManagement” 2106 and the defining nodeis “ProblemDomain” 2104. Thus, in one implementation, the softwaredevelopment tool displays two dependency links between two nodes inopposite directions to represent dependencies in both directions. In analternative embodiment, a single link (not shown) may be used torepresent the dependency links in opposite directions.

In an alternative implementation, the software development toolidentifies at least two dependencies between the dependent node and thedefining node before displaying a single dependency link between the twonodes. FIGS. 27A and 27B depict a flow diagram illustrating thisembodiment. As with the previous embodiment, the steps are performedafter the source code has been parsed and the graphical representationof the object-oriented elements in the source code has been displayed.Moreover, the initial steps performed by the software development toolare the same as with the previous embodiment. Thus, the softwaredevelopment tool initially receives an indication of a type ofdependency search (step 2702). After receiving an indication of the typeof dependency search, the software development tool receives a requestto identify a dependency (step 2703). The next step performed by thesoftware development tool is to select a dependent node (step 2704). Thesoftware development tool also selects a defining node (step 2706). Thesoftware development tool then selects an element from the dependentnode (step 2708). After selecting the element from the dependent node,the software development tool determines whether a declaration in theselected element refers to any element in the defining node, also knownas the defining element (step 2710). If no declaration in the selectedelement refers to any element in the defining node, the softwaredevelopment tool determines whether the type of dependency search is“all usages” (step 2712). If the developer chose to search “all usages,”the software development tool determines whether a method in theselected element refers to any element in the defining node (step 2714).

If the software development tool determines that a dependency existsbetween the selected element and the defining node, i.e., if a method inthe selected element refers to any element in the defining node or if adeclaration in the selected element refers to an element in the definingnode, the software development tool determines whether the seconddeclaration in the selected element refers to any element in thedefining node (step 2716 in FIG. 27B). If the second declaration refersto any element in the defining node, i.e., if a second dependencybetween the dependent node and the defining node is found, then thesoftware development tool displays the dependency link from thedependent node to the defining node (step 2722). If the seconddeclaration does not refer to any element in the defining node, then thesoftware development tool determines whether the type of dependencysearch is “all usages” (step 2718). If the type of dependency search is“all usages,” then the software development tool determines whether asecond method in the selected element refers to any element in thedefining node (step 2720). If the second method refers to an element inthe defining node, then the software development tool displays thedependency link (step 2722).

If the second dependency is not identified at steps 2716 or 2720, thesoftware development tool determines whether there are more elements inthe dependent node (step 2724). Also, if the type of dependency searchin step 2712 is not “all usages,” the software development tooldetermines whether there are more elements in the dependent node (step2724). If there are more elements, processing continues with the nextelement at step 2708. If all elements in the dependent node have beenanalyzed, the software development tool determines whether there are anymore defining nodes (step 2726). If there are more defining nodes,processing continues with the next defining node at step 2706. If alldefining nodes have been analyzed, the software development tooldetermines whether there are any more dependent nodes (step 2728). Ifthere are more dependent nodes, processing continues with the nextdependent node at step 2704. If all dependent nodes have been analyzed,processing ends.

Identifying and Displaying Details Regarding Dependencies

Methods and systems consistent with the present invention identify anddisplay details for each dependency in a project to assist the developerin analyzing the code. Conventional tools identify the existence ofdependencies between object-oriented elements, but fail to provide thedeveloper with details regarding the types of dependencies between nodesand the elements within the nodes between which the dependencies exist.Thus, the developer must search the code to identify the particulardependencies that exist between the nodes. Methods and systemsconsistent with the present invention provide the developer with a listidentifying the defining element, the dependent element, and the usagethat results in the dependency. With this information, the developer canmodify the code to reduce the number of dependencies between the nodes.With fewer dependencies, any further changes to the code are less likelyto affect other parts of the code.

FIGS. 28A, 28B, and 28C depict a flow diagram illustrating an exemplaryprocess performed by the software development tool to identify anddisplay the specific elements and usage that result in each dependencybetween a dependent node and a defining node. The software developmenttool initially receives an indication of a dependency link from adependent node to a defining node (step 2802). In one implementation,the software development tool searches the code or the TMM, as describedabove, to identify the dependencies. Alternatively, if dependency linksare already drawn, for example as displayed on the graphical pane 2904in FIG. 29, the software development tool receives the displaycoordinates for the single dependency link 2902 when a developer uses amouse or stylus to click on the single dependency link 2902. The TMM 200identifies the symbol associated with the received display coordinatesand provides this information to the software development tool, whichcorrelates and stores the display coordinates of the single dependencylink 2902 with the associated dependent node 2102, “Userinterface.” Inanother implementation, the software development tool may store thedisplay coordinates of the single dependency link 2902 with theassociated defining node “ProblemDomain” 2104. The identified singledependency link 2902 limits the scope of a subsequent dependency searchor analysis by the software development tool to the object-orientedelements in the dependent node “UserInterface” 2102, i.e., it limits thesearch to class “CashSalesApp” 2906, class “POSFrame” 2908, class“POSFrame AboutBox” 2910, and class “SaleUI” 2912. In addition, theidentified single dependency link limits the search or analysis toidentifying the use of the object-oriented elements in the defining node“ProblemDomain” 2104, i.e., it limits the search to class “CashSale”2914, class “CashSaleDetail” 2916, class “ProductDesc” 2918, class“ProductPrice” 2220, and class “InsuffPaymentException” 2922.

The software development tool also receives an indication of a type ofdependency search (step 2804). A developer may indicate to the softwaredevelopment tool the type of dependency search by any known programminginput technique, such as selection of an option on a pull down menu, ora keyboard input. In another implementation, the software developmenttool may receive the indication of the type of dependency search from asystem variable, such as a dependency check system variable 2302 shownin FIG. 23. In this implementation, the type of dependency search may be“declarations only” 2304 or “all usages” 2306. This allows the softwaredevelopment tool to limit the dependencies reflected by a singledependency link to only declarations. Examples of such declarations arethe attribute declaration “private CashSale theCashSale” 2924 shown inFIG. 29 as code in class “SaleUI” 2926, or the declaration “ProductaProd” made as an argument parameter for the method “addItem(ProductaProd)” 2008 in FIG. 20.

The software development tool also receives a request to displaydependencies reflected by the selected single dependency link (step2806). In one implementation, the request to display dependencies may bereceived at the same time and be synonymous with the indication of adependency link in step 2802. In another implementation shown in FIG.29, the software development tool may receive the request via adeveloper selecting the option 2928 on a pull down menu. However, anyknown programming input technique may be used to indicate the request tothe software development tool.

Having received the request to display dependencies, the softwaredevelopment tool limits the dependency search to the identifieddependent node, “UserInterface” 2102. The software development tool thenselects a dependent element from the dependent node (step 2808). Thesoftware development tool also selects a declaration from the dependentelement (step 2810). The software development tool determines whetherthe selected declaration uses a defining element in the defining node(step 2812). In one implementation, the software development toolinvokes the TMM 200 to identify each declaration in the correspondingcode of the dependent element. In another implementation, the softwaredevelopment tool scans the code of the dependent element to find adeclaration. For example, FIG. 30 depicts exemplary code correspondingto class “POSFrame” 3002. Class “POSFrame” 2123 is depicted graphicallyin FIG. 21 in relation to the dependent node 2102, “UserInterface.” Byinvoking the TMM 200 or by scanning the file 2124, the softwaredevelopment tool identifies the declaration “ProductDesc[ ] products”3004. The software development tool then determines that the declaration3004 has an attribute type “ProductDesc[ ]” 3006 that refers to thedefining element, class “ProductDesc” 3102, shown in FIG. 31. Class“ProductDesc” 2918 is depicted graphically in FIG. 29 in relation to thedefining node “ProblemDomain” 2104.

Having identified that the declaration 3004 refers to the definingelement 3006 in the defining node 2104, the software development toolrecords the usage of the defining element in the selected declaration ofthe dependent element (step 2814). The software development tool thendisplays an indication that the dependent element uses the definingelement (step 2816). The software development tool also displays theusage (step 2818). The software development tool then checks whetherthere are any more declarations (step 2820). The software developmenttool also checks for additional declarations if the selected declarationdoes not use a defining element in the defining node. If there are moredeclarations, processing continues at step 2810 with the nextdeclaration from the dependent element. If there are no moredeclarations in the dependent element, the software development tooldetermines whether the type of dependency search is “all usages” (step2822 in FIG. 28B). If the search is not for “all usages,” the softwaredevelopment tool determines whether there are any more dependentelements (step 2824). If there are more dependent elements, processingcontinues at step 2808 with the next dependent element from thedependent node. If there are no more dependent elements, processing iscomplete.

If the type of dependency search is “all usages,” the softwaredevelopment tool will also identify and display dependencies from adependent element having a method that refers to a defining element. Thesoftware development tool selects a method in the dependent element(step 2826 in FIG. 28C). The software development tool then selects adefining element from the defining node (step 2828). The softwaredevelopment tool determines whether the selected method refers to thedefining element (step 2830). In determining whether the correspondingcode of the dependent element has a method that refers to the definingelement, the software development tool may invoke the TMM 200 toidentify a method associated with the dependent element. In anotherimplementation, the software development tool may scan the code of thedependent element to identify a method header and a method body that isin brackets (i.e., “{ }”) following the method header. The softwaredevelopment tool may then search the body of the identified method for ausage of the defining element, such as in a local variable declaration,in a method invocation, or in a constructor. For example, the code forclass “POSFrame” 3002 in FIG. 30 includes a method header 3010 for themethod “setUpProducts” 3014. When analyzing the body 3012 of the method“setUpProducts” 3014 in the class “POSFrame” 3002, the softwaredevelopment tool identifies a constructor used in a local variableassignment (i.e., “products=new ProductDesc [10]” 3016). The softwaredevelopment tool determines that the constructor in the local variableassignment 3016 refers to “ProductDesc( )” 3104 defined in the definingelement, class “ProductDesc” 3102 in FIG. 31.

If the software development tool determines that the selected methodrefers to the defining element, the software development tool recordsthe usage of the defining element in the selected method (step 2832).Thus, the software development tool stores the dependent element, class“POSFrame” 3002, and the defining element, class “ProductDesc” 3102, aswell as the actual usage of the defining element within the dependentelement so that a developer is aware of a cause of the identifieddependency. Thus, the software development tool records the constructorin the local variable assignment 3016, in FIG. 30. The softwaredevelopment tool displays an indication that the dependent element usesthe defining element (step 2834). The software development tool thendisplays the usage (step 2836).

In one implementation, as shown in FIG. 32, the software developmenttool displays the indication that the dependent element in the dependentnode uses the defining element in the defining node by displaying anexpandable directory tree with a root name that corresponds to the nameof the dependent node and the name of the dependent element. Thus, fordependent node “UserInterface” and dependent element “POSFrame,” theroot name is “Userlnterface.POSFrame” 3202. The software developmenttool also displays a dependent branch of the tree with a dependentbranch name that corresponds to the name of the defining node and thename of the defining element. Thus for defining node “ProblemDomain” anddefining element “ProductDesc,” the dependent branch name is“ProblemDomain.ProductDesc” 3204. In this implementation, the softwaredevelopment tool displays each recorded usage as a respective name of asecond branch off of the dependent branch. For example, a second branch3206 off the dependent branch 3204 has a name corresponding to“ProductDesc[ ] products,” which is the exemplary usage in the dependentelement, class “POSFrame” 3002, recorded by the software developmenttool when the type of dependency search is “declarations only.” In theexample shown in FIG. 33, when the type of dependency search is “allusages,” the software development tool also displays the recorded usageof the defining element in the method of the dependent element. Forexample, the software development tool displays the local variableassignment with the constructor 3016 in FIG. 30, as a recorded usage3302 in FIG. 33. After displaying the usage, the software developmenttool checks whether there are any more defining elements (step 2838).The software development tool also checks whether there are any moredefining elements if the selected method does not refer to definingelements. If there are more defining elements, processing continues atstep 2828 with the next defining element from the defining node.Otherwise, the software development tool determines whether there areany more methods in the dependent element (step 2840). If so, processingcontinues at step 2826 with the next method in the dependent element. Ifthere are no more methods, processing continues at step 2824.

Returning to the example shown in FIG. 32, the software development toolalso identifies and records the indication that the dependent element,class “POSFrame” 3002, also uses another element, class “CashSale,” inthe defining node 2104, “ProblemDomain.” This indication is displayed asa dependent branch “ProblemDomain.CashSale” 3208 of the expandabledirectory tree for “Userlnterface.POSFrame” 3202. The recorded usage“CashSale currentSale” 3210 of the defining element, class “CashSale,”in the defining node 2104 is also displayed by the software developmenttool.

In response to performing the process in FIGS. 28A, 28B and 28C, thesoftware development tool identifies, records, and displays the multipledependencies 3212, in FIG. 32, when the single dependency link 2510 isselected and when the type of dependency search is “declarations only.”Similarly, the software development tool identifies, records, anddisplays the multiple dependencies 3310, in FIG. 33, when the singledependency link 2510 is selected and when the type of dependency searchis “all usages.” Methods and systems consistent with the presentinvention also allow a developer to track the dependencies betweenobject-oriented elements when the elements are removed from theircorresponding packages. For example, the effect of removing class“POSFrame” 3002 from package “UserInterface” 2102 and creating a newnode for the removed class is depicted in FIG. 34. As depicted in FIGS.32 and 33, the dependencies represented by link 2510 includedependencies from class “POSFrame,” as identified by branch“Userlnterface.POSFrame” 3202. If class POSFrame is removed from packageUserInterface and a new node 3404 is created for class POSFrame, thesoftware development tool will distinguish the dependencies originatingfrom package “UserInterface” 2102 from those of class POSFrame 3404.Graphically, the dependencies from package UserInterface are illustratedas link 3402, whereas the dependencies from class POSFrame areillustrated as link 3406.

The software development tool, in accordance with methods and systemsconsistent with the present invention, also allow a developer tomanually draw a dependency between two nodes to determine whether anydependencies exist between those specific nodes. For example, FIG. 35depicts an exemplary user interface displayed by the softwaredevelopment tool, where the exemplary user interface reflects adiagrammatic request 3504 received by the software development tool toform a dependency link between a selected dependent node 2102 and aselected defining node 2108. In the implementation shown in FIG. 35, thesoftware development tool receives an indication to form a manualdependency link via an actuation of a button 3502 on the user interfacescreen 3500. In this implementation, the developer may indicate thedependent node 2102 to the software development tool via a mouse clickon the dependent node 2102. The developer may then indicate the definingnode 2108 to the software development tool by dragging and dropping acursor on the defining node 2108 to complete the diagrammatic request3504.

As shown in FIG. 36, the software development tool forms the manualdependency link 3602 in response to the indication to form the manualdependency link 3502 and the diagrammatic request 3504. The manualdependency link 3602 may not reflect any dependencies between thedependent node 2102 and the defining node 2108. The dependency link may,however, serve as visual reminder to the developer to create adependency between the two nodes as the developer incorporates changesinto the code corresponding to the dependent node 2102. Also, as shownin FIG. 36, in response to performing the process in FIGS. 28A, 28B and28C when the identified single dependency link is the manual dependencylink 3602, the software development tool displays a no dependenciesmessage 3604 to indicate that no element in the dependent node 2102 usesor is dependent on any element in the defining node 2108.

While various embodiments of the application have been described, itwill be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many moreembodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scopeof this invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restrictedexcept in light of the attached claims and their equivalents.

1. A method in a data processing system having a dependent node, adefining node, and a plurality of dependencies between the dependentnode and the defining node, the method comprising the steps of:displaying a graphical representation of the dependent node; displayinga graphical representation of the defining node; receiving an indicationto identify a dependency between the dependent node and the definingnode; and in response to receiving the indication to identify thedependency, representing the plurality of dependencies as a number oflinks that is less than a number of the dependencies between thedependent node and the defining node.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinthe plurality of dependencies is represented as a single link.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein each node comprises an element.
 4. The methodof claim 3, wherein one of the plurality of dependencies comprises a useof the defining node element by the dependent node element.
 5. Themethod of claim 3, wherein one of the plurality of dependenciescomprises a declaration of the defining node element by the dependentnode element.
 6. The method of claim 3, wherein one of the plurality ofdependencies comprises a call to a method of the defining node elementby the dependent node element.
 7. The method of claim 3, wherein one ofthe plurality of dependencies comprises a local variable definitionusing the defining node element in a method of the dependent nodeelement.
 8. The method of claim 3, wherein the dependent node elementcomprises a class.
 9. The method of claim 3, wherein the dependent nodeelement comprises an interface.
 10. The method of claim 3, wherein thedefining node element comprises a class.
 11. The method of claim 3,wherein the defining node element comprises an interface.
 12. The methodof claim 1, wherein the dependent node is selected from the groupconsisting of a class, an interface, and a package.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the package comprises a plurality of elements.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, wherein one of the plurality of elements comprises aclass.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein one of the plurality ofelements comprises an interface.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein thedefining node is selected from the group consisting of a class, aninterface, and a package.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein thepackage comprises a plurality of elements.
 18. The method of claim 17,wherein one of the plurality of elements comprises a class.
 19. Themethod of claim 17, wherein one of the plurality of elements comprisesan interface.
 20. A method in a data processing system having aplurality of nodes, each of the plurality of nodes having correspondingcode, the method comprising the steps of: displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the plurality of nodes; determining whether the codecorresponding to a first of the plurality of nodes contains a first useof a second of the plurality of nodes; and when it is determined thatthe code corresponding to the first node contains the first use of thesecond node, determining whether the code corresponding to the firstnode contains a second use of the second node; and when it is determinedthat the code corresponding to the first node contains the second use ofthe second node, displaying a dependency link between the graphicalrepresentation of the first node and the graphical representation of thesecond node.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first use comprisesa declaration.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step ofdetermining whether the code corresponding to the first node containsthe first use of the second node comprises the step of searching thecode corresponding to the first node for an attribute declaration thatuses the second node.
 23. The method of claim 21, wherein the step ofdetermining whether the code corresponding to the first node containsthe first use of the second node comprises the step of searching thecode corresponding to the first node for an initializer of an attributedeclaration that uses the second node.
 24. The method of claim 21,wherein the step of determining whether the code corresponding to thefirst node contains the first use of the second node comprises the stepof searching the code corresponding to the first node for an argumentparameter of a method that uses the second node.
 25. The method of claim21, wherein the second use comprises a second declaration.
 26. Themethod of claim 25, further comprising the steps of: when it isdetermined that the code corresponding to the first node does notcontain the second declaration of the second node, determining whetherthe code corresponding to the first node contains a call to a method ofthe second node; and when it is determined that the code correspondingto the first node contains the call to the method of the second node,displaying a dependency link between the graphical representation of thefirst node and the graphical representation of the second node.
 27. Themethod of claim 25, further comprising the steps of: when it isdetermined that the code corresponding to the first node does notcontain the second declaration of the second node, determining whetherthe code corresponding to the first node comprises a method having alocal variable definition using the second node; and when it isdetermined that the code corresponding to the first node comprises amethod having the local variable definition using the second node,displaying a dependency link between the graphical representation of thefirst node and the graphical representation of the second node.
 28. Themethod of claim 20, wherein the first use of the second node comprises acall to a method of the second node.
 29. The method of claim 28, whereinthe second use of the second node comprises a second call to the methodof the second node.
 30. The method of claim 29, further comprising thesteps of: when it is determined that the code corresponding to the firstnode does not contain the second call to the method of the second node,determining whether the code corresponding to the first node comprises amethod having a local variable definition using the second node; andwhen it is determined that the code corresponding to the first nodecomprises a method having the local variable definition using the secondnode, displaying a dependency link between the graphical representationof the first node and the graphical representation of the second node.31. The method of claim 29, further comprising the steps of: when it isdetermined that the code corresponding to the first node does notcontain the second call to the method of the second node, determiningwhether the code corresponding to the first node contains a declarationof the second node; and when it is determined that the codecorresponding to the first node contains the declaration of the secondnode, displaying a dependency link between the graphical representationof the first node and the graphical representation of the second node.32. The method of claim 20, wherein the first use of the second nodecomprises a local variable definition using the second node in a methodof the first node.
 33. The method of claim 32, wherein the second use ofthe second node comprises a local variable definition using the secondnode in a method of the first node.
 34. The method of claim 20, whereinthe first node is selected from the group consisting of a class, aninterface, and a package.
 35. The method of claim 20, wherein the secondnode is selected from the group consisting of a class, an interface, anda package.
 36. A method in a data processing system having a pluralityof nodes, each of the plurality of nodes having corresponding code, themethod comprising the steps of: receiving an indication of a first ofthe plurality of nodes; receiving an indication of a second of theplurality of nodes; determining whether the code corresponding to thefirst node contains a first use of the second node; and when it isdetermined that the code corresponding to the first node contains thefirst use of the second node, determining whether the code correspondingto the first node contains a second use of the second node; and when itis determined that the code corresponding to the first node contains thesecond use of the second node, displaying a dependency link between thegraphical representation of the first node and the graphicalrepresentation of the second node.
 37. The method of claim 36, whereinthe first use comprises a declaration.
 38. The method of claim 37,wherein the second use comprises a second declaration.
 39. The method ofclaim 38, further comprising the steps of: when it is determined thatthe code corresponding to the first node does not contain the seconddeclaration of the second node, determining whether the codecorresponding to the first node contains a call to a method of thesecond node; and when it is determined that the code corresponding tothe first node contains the call to the method of the second node,displaying a dependency link between the graphical representation of thefirst node and the graphical representation of the second node.
 40. Themethod of claim 38, further comprising the steps of: when it isdetermined that the code corresponding to the first node does notcontain the second declaration of the second node, determining whetherthe code corresponding to the first node comprises a method having alocal variable definition using the second node; and when it isdetermined that the code corresponding to the first node comprises themethod having the local variable definition using the second node,displaying a dependency link between the graphical representation of thefirst node and the graphical representation of the second node.
 41. Themethod of claim 36, wherein the first use comprises a call to a methodof the second node.
 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the second usecomprises a call to the method of the second node.
 43. The method ofclaim 41, further comprising the steps of: when it is determined thatthe code corresponding to the first node does not contain a second callto the method of the second node, determining whether the codecorresponding to the first node comprises a method having a localvariable definition using the second node; and when it is determinedthat the code corresponding to the first node comprises a method havingthe local variable definition using the second node, displaying adependency link between the graphical representation of the first nodeand the graphical representation of the second node.
 44. The method ofclaim 36, wherein the first use of the second node comprises a localvariable definition using the second node in a method of the first node.45. The method of claim 44, wherein the second use of the second nodecomprises a local variable definition using the second node in a methodof the first node.
 46. The method of claim 36, wherein the first node isselected from the group consisting of a class, an interface, and apackage.
 47. The method of claim 36, wherein the second node is selectedfrom the group consisting of a class, an interface, and a package.
 48. Amethod in a data processing system having a plurality of nodes, each ofthe plurality of nodes having corresponding code, the method comprisingthe steps of: receiving an indication of a first of the plurality ofnodes; receiving an indication of a second of the plurality of nodes;determining whether the code corresponding to the first node contains ause of the second node; and when it is determined that the codecorresponding to the first node contains the use of the second node,displaying the usage of the second node by the first node.
 49. Themethod of claim 48, wherein each node comprises an element.
 50. Themethod of claim 49, wherein when it is determined that the codecorresponding to the first node contains the use of the second node, themethod further comprises the step of displaying the first node element.51. The method of claim 50, further comprising the step of displayingthe first node with the first node element and with the usage tovisually indicate that the first node contains the usage of the secondnode.
 52. The method of claim 49, wherein when it is determined that thecode corresponding to the first node contains the use of the secondnode, the method further comprises the step of displaying the secondnode element.
 53. The method of claim 56, further comprising the step ofdisplaying the second node with the second node element and with theusage to visually indicate that the first node contains the usage of thesecond node.
 54. The method of claim 48, wherein the first node isselected from the group consisting of a class, an interface, and apackage.
 55. The method of claim 48, wherein the second node is selectedfrom the group consisting of a class, an interface, and a package.
 56. Acomputer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a dataprocessing system to perform a method, the data processing system havinga dependent node, a defining node, and a plurality of dependenciesbetween the dependent node and the defining node, the method comprisingthe steps of: displaying a graphical representation of the dependentnode; displaying a graphical representation of the defining node;receiving an indication to identify a dependency between the dependentnode and the defining node; and in response to receiving the indicationto identify the dependency, representing the plurality of dependenciesas a number of links that is less than a number of the dependenciesbetween the dependent node and the defining node.
 57. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 56, wherein the plurality ofdependencies is represented as a single link.
 58. The computer-readablemedium of claim 56, wherein each node comprises an element.
 59. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 58, wherein one of the plurality ofdependencies comprises a use of the defining node element by thedependent node element.
 60. The computer-readable medium of claim 58,wherein one of the plurality of dependencies comprises a declaration ofthe defining node element by the dependent node element.
 61. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 58, wherein one of the plurality ofdependencies comprises a call to a method of the defining node elementby the dependent node element.
 62. The computer-readable medium of claim58, wherein one of the plurality of dependencies comprises a localvariable definition using the defining node element in a method of thedependent node element.
 63. The computer-readable medium of claim 58,wherein the dependent node element comprises a class.
 64. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 58, wherein the dependent node elementcomprises an interface.
 65. The computer-readable medium of claim 58,wherein the defining node element comprises a class.
 66. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 58, wherein the defining node elementcomprises an interface.
 67. The computer-readable medium of claim 56,wherein the dependent node is selected from the group consisting of aclass, an interface and a package.
 68. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 67, wherein the package comprises a plurality of elements.
 69. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 68, wherein one of the plurality ofelements comprises a class.
 70. The computer-readable medium of claim68, wherein one of the plurality of elements comprises an interface. 71.The computer-readable medium of claim 56, wherein the defining node isselected from the group consisting of a class, an interface and apackage.
 72. The computer-readable medium of claim 71, wherein thepackage comprises a plurality of elements.
 73. The computer-readablemedium of claim 72, wherein one of the plurality of elements comprises aclass.
 74. The computer-readable medium of claim 72, wherein one of theplurality of elements comprises an interface.
 75. A computer-readablemedium containing instructions for controlling a data processing systemto perform a method, the data processing system having a plurality ofnodes, each of the plurality of nodes having corresponding code, themethod comprising the steps of: displaying a graphical representation ofthe plurality of nodes; determining whether the code corresponding to afirst of the plurality of nodes contains a first use of a second of theplurality of nodes; and when it is determined that the codecorresponding to the first node contains the first use of the secondnode, determining whether the code corresponding to the first nodecontains a second use of the second node; and when it is determined thatthe code corresponding to the first node contains the second use of thesecond node, displaying a dependency link between the graphicalrepresentation of the first node and the graphical representation of thesecond node.
 76. The computer-readable medium of claim 75, wherein thefirst use comprises a declaration.
 77. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 76, wherein the step of determining whether the code correspondingto the first node contains the first use of the second node comprisesthe step of searching the code corresponding to the first node for anattribute declaration that uses the second node.
 78. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 76, wherein the step of determiningwhether the code corresponding to the first node contains the first useof the second node comprises the step of searching the codecorresponding to the first node for an initializer of an attributedeclaration that uses the second node.
 79. The computer-readable mediumof claim 76, wherein the step of determining whether the codecorresponding to the first node contains the first use of the secondnode comprises the step of searching the code corresponding to the firstnode for an argument parameter of a method that uses the second node.80. The computer-readable medium of claim 76, wherein the second usecomprises a second declaration.
 81. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 80, wherein when it is determined that the code corresponding tothe first node does not contain the second declaration of the secondnode, the method further comprises the steps of: determining whether thecode corresponding to the first node contains a call to a method of thesecond node; and when it is determined that the code corresponding tothe first node contains the call to the method of the second node,displaying a dependency link between the graphical representation of thefirst node and the graphical representation of the second node.
 82. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 80, wherein when it is determined thatthe code corresponding to the first node does not contain the seconddeclaration of the second node, the method further comprises the stepsof: determining whether the code corresponding to the first nodecomprises a method having a local variable definition using the secondnode; and when it is determined that the code corresponding to the firstnode comprises a method having the local variable definition using thesecond node, displaying a dependency link between the graphicalrepresentation of the first node and the graphical representation of thesecond node.
 83. The computer-readable medium of claim 75, wherein thefirst use of the second node comprises a call to a method of the secondnode.
 84. The computer-readable medium of claim 83, wherein the seconduse of the second node comprises a second call to the method of thesecond node.
 85. The computer-readable medium of claim 84, wherein whenit is determined that the code corresponding to the first node does notcontain the second call to the method of the second node, the methodfurther comprises the steps of: determining whether the codecorresponding to the first node comprises a method having a localvariable definition using the second node; and when it is determinedthat the code corresponding to the first node comprises a method havingthe local variable definition using the second node, displaying adependency link between the graphical representation of the first nodeand the graphical representation of the second node.
 86. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 84, wherein when it is determined thatthe code corresponding to the first node does not contain the secondcall to the method of the second node, the method further comprises thesteps of: determining whether the code corresponding to the first nodecontains a declaration of the second node; and when it is determinedthat the code corresponding to the first node contains the declarationof the second node, displaying a dependency link between the graphicalrepresentation of the first node and the graphical representation of thesecond node.
 87. The computer-readable medium of claim 75, wherein thefirst use of the second node comprises a local variable definition usingthe second node in a method of the first node.
 88. The computer-readablemedium of claim 87, wherein the second use of the second node comprisesa second local variable definition using the second node in a method ofthe first node.
 89. The computer-readable medium of claim 75, whereinthe first node is selected from the group consisting of a class, aninterface, and a package.
 90. The computer-readable medium of claim 75,wherein the second node is selected from the group consisting of aclass, an interface, and a package.
 91. A computer-readable mediumcontaining instructions for controlling a data processing system toperform a method, the data processing system having a plurality ofnodes, each of the plurality of nodes having corresponding code, themethod comprising the steps of: receiving an indication of a first ofthe plurality of nodes; receiving an indication of a second of theplurality of nodes; determining whether the code corresponding to thefirst node contains a first use of the second node; and when it isdetermined that the code corresponding to the first node contains thefirst use of the second node, determining whether the code correspondingto the first node contains a second use of the second node; and when itis determined that the code corresponding to the first node contains thesecond use of the second node, displaying a dependency link between thegraphical representation of the first node and the graphicalrepresentation of the second node.
 92. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 91, wherein the first use comprises a declaration.
 93. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 92, wherein the second use comprises asecond declaration.
 94. The computer-readable medium of claim 93,wherein: when it is determined that the code corresponding to the firstnode does not contain the second declaration of the second node,determining whether the code corresponding to the first node contains acall to a method of the second node; and when it is determined that thecode corresponding to the first node contains the call to the method ofthe second node, displaying a dependency link between the graphicalrepresentation of the first node and the graphical representation of thesecond node.
 95. The computer readable medium of claim 93, wherein: whenit is determined that the code corresponding to the first node does notcontain the second declaration of the second node, determining whetherthe code corresponding to the first node comprises a method having alocal variable definition using the second node; and when it isdetermined that the code corresponding to the first node comprises amethod having the local variable definition using the second node,displaying a dependency link between the graphical representation of thefirst node and the graphical representation of the second node.
 96. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 91, wherein the first use of thesecond node comprises a call to a method of the second node.
 97. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 96, wherein the second use comprises asecond call to the method of the second node.
 98. The computer-readablemedium of claim 97, wherein: when it is determined that the codecorresponding to the first node does not contain the second call to themethod of the second node, determining whether the code corresponding tothe first node comprises a method having a local variable definitionusing the second node when it is determined that the code correspondingto the first node comprises a method having the local variabledefinition using the second node, displaying a dependency link betweenthe graphical representation of the first node and the graphicalrepresentation of the second node.
 99. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 91, wherein the first use of the second node comprises a localvariable definition using the second node in a method of the first node.100. The computer-readable medium of claim 99, wherein the second use ofthe second node comprises a second local variable definition using thesecond node in a method of the first node.
 101. The computer-readablemedium of claim 91, wherein the first node is selected from the groupconsisting of a class, an interface, and a package.
 102. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 91, wherein the second node isselected from the group consisting of a class, an interface, and apackage.
 103. A computer-readable medium containing instructions forcontrolling a data processing system to perform a method, the dataprocessing system having a plurality of nodes, each of the plurality ofnodes having corresponding code, the method comprising the steps of:receiving an indication of a first of the plurality of nodes; receivingan indication of a second of the plurality of nodes; determining whetherthe code corresponding to the first node contains a use of the secondnode; and when it is determined that the code corresponding to the firstnode contains the use of the second node, displaying the usage of thesecond node by the first node.
 104. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 103, wherein each node comprises an element.
 105. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 104, wherein when it is determinedthat the code corresponding to the first node contains the use of thesecond node, the method further comprises the step of displaying thefirst node element.
 106. The computer-readable medium of claim 105,wherein the method further comprises the step of displaying the firstnode with the first node element and with the usage to visually indicatethat the first node contains the usage of the second node.
 107. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 104, wherein when it is determinedthat the code corresponding to the first node contains the use of thesecond node, the method further comprises the step of displaying thesecond node element.
 108. The computer-readable medium of claim 107,wherein the method further comprises the step of displaying the secondnode with the second node element and with the usage to visuallyindicate that the first node contains the usage of the second node. 109.The computer-readable medium of claim 103, wherein the first node isselected from the group consisting of a class, an interface, and apackage.
 110. The computer-readable medium of claim 103, wherein thesecond node is selected from the group consisting of a class, aninterface, and a package.
 111. A data processing system comprising: asecondary storage device further comprising a plurality of nodes, eachof the plurality of nodes having corresponding code; a memory devicefurther comprising a program that displays a graphical representation ofthe plurality of nodes, that determines whether the code correspondingto a first of the plurality of nodes contains a first use of a second ofthe plurality of nodes, and when it is determined that the codecorresponding to the first node contains the first use of the secondnode, the program determines whether the code corresponding to the firstnode contains a second use of the second node, and when it is determinedthat the code corresponding to the first node contains the second use ofthe second node, the program displays a dependency link between thegraphical representation of the first node and the graphicalrepresentation of the second node; and a processor for running theprogram.
 112. The data processing system of claim 111, wherein the firstnode is selected from the group comprising a class, and interface, and apackage.
 113. The data processing system of claim 111, wherein thesecond node is selected from the group comprising a class, an interface,and a package.
 114. The data processing system of claim 111, wherein thefirst use comprises a declaration.
 115. The data processing system ofclaim 114, wherein the second use comprises a second declaration. 116.The data processing system of claim 115, wherein when it is determinedthat the code corresponding to the first node does not contain thesecond declaration of the second node, the program determines whetherthe code corresponding to the first node contains a call to a method ofthe second node, and when it is determined that the code correspondingto the first node contains the call to the method of the second node,the program displays a dependency link between the graphicalrepresentation of the first node and the graphical representation of thesecond node.
 117. The data processing system of claim 115, wherein whenit is determined that the code corresponding to the first node does notcontain the second declaration of the second node, the programdetermines whether the code corresponding to the first node comprises amethod having a local variable definition using the second node, andwhen it is determined that the code corresponding to the first nodecomprises a method having the local variable definition using the secondnode, the program displays a dependency link between the graphicalrepresentation of the first node and the graphical representation of thesecond node.
 118. The data processing system of claim 111, wherein thefirst use of the second node comprises a call to a method of the secondnode.
 119. The data processing system of claim 118, wherein the seconduse of the second node comprises a second call to the method of thesecond node.
 120. The data processing system of claim 119, wherein whenit is determined that the code corresponding to the first node does notcontain the second call to the method of the second node, the programdetermines whether the code corresponding to the first node comprises amethod having a local variable definition using the second node, andwhen it is determined that the code corresponding to the first nodecomprises a method having the local variable definition using the secondnode, the program displays a dependency link between the graphicalrepresentation of the first node and the graphical representation of thesecond node.
 121. The data processing system of claim 119, wherein whenit is determined that the code corresponding to the first node does notcontain the second call to the method of the second node, the programdetermines whether the code corresponding to the first node contains adeclaration of the second node, and when it is determined that the codecorresponding to the first node contains the declaration of the secondnode, the program displays a dependency link between the graphicalrepresentation of the first node and the graphical representation of thesecond node.
 122. A data processing system comprising: a secondarystorage device further comprising a plurality of nodes, each of theplurality of nodes having corresponding code; a memory device furthercomprising a program that receives an indication of a first of theplurality of nodes, that receives an indication of a second of theplurality of nodes, that determines whether the code corresponding tothe first node contains a first use of the second node, and when it isdetermined that the code corresponding to the first node contains thefirst use of the second node, the program determines whether the codecorresponding to the first node contains a second use of the secondnode, and when it is determined that the code corresponding to the firstnode contains the second use of the second node, the program displays adependency link between the graphical representation of the first nodeand the graphical representation of the second node; and a processor forrunning the program.
 123. The data processing system of claim 122,wherein the first node is selected from the group consisting of a class,an interface, and a package.
 124. The data processing system of claim122, wherein the second node is selected from the group consisting of aclass, an interface, and a package.
 125. The data processing system ofclaim 122, wherein the first use and the second use each comprise adeclaration.
 126. The data processing system of claim 122, wherein thefirst use and the second use each comprise a call to a method.
 127. Adata processing system comprising: a secondary storage device furthercomprising a plurality of nodes, each of the plurality of nodes havingcorresponding code; a memory device further comprising a program thatreceives an indication of a first of the plurality of nodes, thatreceives an indication of a second of the plurality of nodes, thatdetermines whether the code corresponding to the first node contains ause of the second node, and when it is determined that the codecorresponding to the first node contains the use of the second node, theprogram displays the usage of the second node by the first node; and aprocessor for running the program.
 128. The data processing system ofclaim 127, wherein each node comprises an element.
 129. The dataprocessing system of claim 128, wherein when it is determined that thecode corresponding to the first node contains the use of the secondnode, the program further displays the first node element.
 130. The dataprocessing system of claim 129, wherein the program further displays thefirst node with the first node element and with the usage to visuallyindicate that the first node contains the usage of the second node. 131.The data processing system of claim 128, wherein when it is determinedthat the code corresponding to the first node contains the use of thesecond node, the program further displays the second node element. 132.The data processing system of claim 131, wherein the program furtherdisplays the second node with the second node element and with the usageto visually indicate that the first node contains the usage of thesecond node.
 133. The data processing system of claim 127, wherein thefirst node is selected from the group comprising a class, an interface,and a package.
 134. The data processing system of claim 127, wherein thesecond node is selected from the group comprising a class, an interface,and a package.
 135. A system having a dependent node, a defining node,and a plurality of dependencies between the dependent node and thedefining node, the system comprising: means for displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the dependent node; means for displaying a graphicalrepresentation of the defining node; means for receiving an indicationto identify a dependency between the dependent node and the definingnode; and means for representing the plurality of dependencies as anumber of links that is less than a number of the dependencies betweenthe dependent node and the defining node in response to receiving theindication to identify the dependency.